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Pacific International Cup returns, Page 12
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2012
36 PAGES
Community mourns Mary Gazetas Dedicated to Richmond, Gazetas known for preserving cityâs unique areas
Artistâs rendering of how Duck Island could be transformed.
by Matthew Hoekstra and Martin van den Hemel
Duck Island eyed as major shopping, entertainment zone
Staff Reporters Mary Gazetas, an artist, writer, activist and lover of the outdoors and her community, died Tuesday morning after a six-week illness. She was 68. She passed away at Richmond Hospital from complications caused by an infection. Gazetas was a former columnist with The Richmond Review, whose column Folio One offered readers slices of her life experiences in Richmond. Raised in West Vancouver, Gazetas earned a bachelorâs degree in ďŹne arts from University of B.C. and made her living as a designer and printmaker for ďŹlm and theatre. She taught visual arts in Alberta until 1983 when she moved to Richmond and landed a job with the city. Gazetas, a mother of three, was one of the founders of the Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project, which evolved into the Sharing Farm. The program produces thousands of pounds of produce each year for needy families who rely on the Richmond Food Bank. Protecting Richmondâs green spaces was a high priority of Gazetas, who was instrumental in the creation of Terra Nova Rural Park and in helping save the Garden
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Mark Patrick ďŹle photo Mary Gazetas, one of the founders of the Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project, passed away yesterday.
City lands. Gazetas was an avid kayaker, who wrote a book about her three decades of experience on the open water. In recent years she could often be seen around Richmond with her dog Hugoâa pair that worked hard to build up the spirit of her husband Aristides, who had developed Alzheimerâs disease. Friend Dave Semple said Gazetas epitomized the spirit of Richmond and community, lending her talents and enthusiasm to everything from Britannia Heritage Shipyard to the Sharing Farm. For a number of years Semple, the cityâs general manager of parks and recreation, shared an ofďŹce with Gazetas, who retired from the city in 2000, and got to know her exuberance ďŹrsthand. Semple said Gazetas fought for the community
âI donât know anyone whoâs made such an impact on Richmond the way she did.â - Arzeena Hamir without seeking accolades, and what drove her was a genuine love for people. âMaryâs contribution was that she cared about people making a difference in the community and she facilitated that,â said Semple. âItâs a loss. Itâs a gap. And itâs one that will be very very very hard to replace.â Arzeena Hamir, co-ordinator of the Richmond Food Security Society, said Gazetas had a special energy and some crazy ideas, yet she drew a following and what she said seemed to make sense. âI donât know anyone
whoâs made such an impact on Richmond the way she did,â Hamir said Tuesday. âWeâre all still in shock. We all expected her to recover...weâre ďŹabbergasted that sheâs not around anymore.â The family will host a memorial service and celebration of life on Saturday, April 21 in Richmond. Details will be posted at lightacandleformary.word press.com. âWe want to thank all of the amazing, kind and supportive doctors and nurses at Richmond General ICU and the 3 South Ward,â Gazetasâ family said in an e-mail to The Richmond Review. âWe are all incredibly shocked and saddened by this unexpected loss... âWe ask that in lieu of ďŹowers, please wait for upcoming details on her blog on how to contribute to a charity close to Maryâs heart.â
Floating restaurants, luxury hotels, clubs, theatres, high-end retail all part of proposal from offshore developer by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter Richmondâs largest single developmentâ19 times larger than the Richmond Olympic Ovalâs footprintâis being proposed for an area of City Centre north known as Duck Island. Jingon International Development Group has submitted an early rezoning application for 30 hectares (73 acres) of land next to River Rock Casino Resort that could feature several floating restaurants, six high-end hotels, shops, bars, clubs, theatres and marina office space. âThis is the largest single application the city has ever received, and the vision is for an international destination for shopping and entertainment, the likes of which youâd have to go to Asia... or at least Los Angeles,
Vancouver International Plaza â˘Total of 4 million square feet proposed â˘Retail/entertainment: 1.58 million square feet â˘Office: 1.1 million square feet â˘Hotel: 870,000 square feet â˘Conference: 450,000 square feet â˘Marina: 300 slips to see on this scale,â said Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who revealed details of the proposal at a Richmond Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday. The mixed-use project, billed as a âmajor entertainment and commercial destination for the region,â is being called the Vancouver International Plaza. See Page 3
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